Kyle Busch wins Brickyard pole; Stewart starts 3rd and Gordon 21st Kyle Busch (R) won the 2015 Brickyard 400 (Getty). INDIANAPOLIS ‐ Kyle Busch has a prime opportunity to defend his 2015 Brickyard 400 win. Busch took the pole away from Carl Edwards just seconds after his teammate had crossed the finish line in the final round of qualifying for Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. … [Read more...]

Jeff Gordon has spent week doing 'everything I possibly can' to prep for Indy Jeff Gordon returns to the Cup Series this weekend (Getty). INDIANAPOLIS – Jeff Gordon said he’s been cramming like a college student for a final over the last few days to prepare for his return to the Sprint Cup Series. “I’m going to tell you, the last two days, I don’t think I’ve ever put as much effort … [Read more...]

Tony Stewart 'relaxed and focused' heading into final Indianapolis start Tony Stewart won the Brickyard 400 in 2005 and 2007 (Getty). INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Stewart doesn’t know how many family and friends will be in attendance for Sunday’s Brickyard 400. And he doesn’t want to know. Stewart, an Indiana native and two-time winner of the Brickyard 400, is retiring at the end of the 2016 … [Read more...]

Michael Annett has a new crew chief Michael Annett is 37th in the points standings (Getty). Michael Annett’s forgettable 2016 season will include a new crew chief. HScott Motorsports announced Tuesday that Mike Hillman Sr. would be Annett’s crew chief for the remainder of the season. Jay Guy, Annett’s crew chief for the first 19 races of the season, will be the team’s Motorsports Technical … [Read more...]

Matt Kenseth docked 15 points following New Hampshire win Matt Kenseth is now ninth in the points standings (Getty). Matt Kenseth and his team were hit with a 15-point penalty by NASCAR on Wednesday but the team will still get to use the three bonus points it accrued for winning Sunday’s race in the Chase. Kenseth’s car failed post-race laser inspection following his win (a P3 penalty on … [Read more...]

Jeff Gordon to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Indianapolis and Pocono   Jeff Gordon is making his return to the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion would take the place of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car for the Brickyard 400. Earnhardt Jr. will miss two more races because of … [Read more...]

Power Rankings: Did Keselowski get knocked off the top spot? 1. Brad Keselowski (LW: 1): The answer to our headline is “No,” even though Keselowski lost ground to points leader Kevin Harvick. Keselowski’s car was not in pristine shape at the end of Sunday’s New Hampshire race and he didn’t make up much track position after a late pit stop. He finished 15th. 2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): As you … [Read more...]

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 'Definitely' unable to drive at New Hampshire Earnhardt Jr. said he has been experiencing nausea and balance issues (Getty). Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t second-guessing missing Sunday’s race at New Hampshire. Junior, who missed the race because of concussion worries, said he would not have been able to drive the car because of the way he was feeling. He made the … [Read more...]

Matt Kenseth wins at New Hampshire, car fails inspection Matt Kenseth’s second-straight New Hampshire win is his second of 2016 (Getty). UPDATE (6:30 p.m. ET) Matt Kenseth’s car failed the post-race laser inspection. Kenseth and the No. 20 team will likely be penalized this week, though it’s highly doubtful the win will be taken away. It’s much more likely Kenseth won’t receive bonus points … [Read more...]

Quick takeaways from New Hampshire: Hendrick's bad day Jimmie Johnson was the highest-finishing Hendrick driver at NHMS. He was 12th (Getty). • It was not the finest of days for Hendrick Motorsports. Three of the team’s cars ended up crashed while Jimmie Johnson had a long pit stop near the end of the race that relegated him to a position outside the top 10. We’ll start with Alex Bowman, … [Read more...]